Tuesday, March 3, 2009

(Completed subbed) Chocolate Armagnac Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, Lyb of And then I do the dishes selected Chocolate Armagnac Cake - The Cake That Got Me Fired on pages 279-281 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Check our Lyb's site for the recipe or get the book.

While baking in a top restaurant, Dorie got bored and changed up one of the restaurant's classic recipes. She was fired for "creative subordination!"

I might get fired too...for substituting too many things! I don't drink so I used orange juice instead of the armagnac...don't worry, I didn't try to flambe my OJ! :) I made 1/4 of the recipe. Since it was just for me, I skipped the glaze because I'm actually not the biggest fan of chocolate frosting. I dusted it with a heavy East Coast-type snow of powdered sugar instead.

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comments:

LOVE it! I love confectioner's on chocolate cake, especially during the holidays. It's so cheerful - it makes "anything" cheerful. Your photos are fantastic - as I'm sure the "sub'd" cake is! Sounds like you enjoyed making it to your taste - which is what baking is all about! Nicely done!

I liked the frosting better than the cake...but your East Coast snowstorm is so pretty! (As pretty as the real one, until it started to melt...) I don't think you'll be fired...and anyway, it seemed to work out in the end for Dorie!

I used liquor in mine, but really couldn't taste it AT ALL, so I was wondering how this would work if you just cooked the prunes in something else . . . like orange juice! It certainly looks wonderful! We loved this cake!

I think the powdered sugar sounds really good. Besides it decorates the tip of your nose. I loved this cake/torte. The chocolate theme seems to work. Your photos are beautiful and makes me want some cake.AmyRuth